Where will the money come to finance water and sanitation for all by 2030? Not from development aid. Developing countries need to get better at raising taxes.
Published on: 13/05/2015
The Guardian brought water and sanitation experts together on 29 April 2015 to discuss ways to raise the money needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for universal access to safe water and sanitation. Besides taxation, panellists mentioned overseas remittances, trade and tackling illicit financial flows.
In July 2015, the third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa is likely to define how the post-2015 development agenda will be paid for. Creating a sense of urgency in Addis is critical. IRC's Dr. Catarina Fonseca warned: "If we don't get the financing mechanisms right in the next five years, forget about the next 10. We won't achieve universal access".
The Guardian roundtable was organised in association with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). Participating organisations included WEDC, Trémolet Consulting, AFFORD, SCA, WaterAid, Bond, Save the Children and IRC.
Read a report of the roundtable posted on the Guardian.
Want to know more? In April 2015, WSUP, IRC and Trémolet Consulting launched Public Finance for WASH: a new collaborative advocacy and research initiative. On 3 June 2015, IRC is organising an event on "Domestic Resource Mobilisation" in The Hague, The Netherlands.
